Polokwane trip planner

Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety" in Northern Sotho, is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. Polokwane is South Africa's largest urban centre north of Gauteng. It was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.HistoryIn the 1840s, Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter established Zoutpansbergdorp, a town to the north west. This settlement had to be abandoned because of clashes with the local tribes. They founded a new town in 1886 and named it Pietersburg in honour of Voortrekker leader Petrus Jacobus Joubert. The British built a concentration camp at Pietersburg during the Boer War to house almost 4,000 Boer women and children. The town officially became a city on 23 April 1992; on 25 February 2005, the government declared the official name of the city as Polokwane, a name that was generally in use by the speakers of Northern Sotho. The city was the site of the ANC national conference which saw Jacob Zuma take over as head of the party.DemographicsIn 1904 Pietersburg had a population of 3,276, of whom 1,620 were whites. Pietersburg was a white-designated area during apartheid and so had an overwhelming white majority before 1990. After the dismantling of apartheid the city still retained a large white population. Neighbouring townships have a black majority. Polokwane is in Limpopo Province. Plan how to spend your time in Polokwane and other destinations in South Africa using our South Africa online driving holiday planner .